Cigarette package



Jan. s c MI CIGARETTE PACKAGE Filed July 9. 1932 Samuel C. Miller Patented Jan. 16, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in cigarette packages and has for an object to provide an improved package in which each cigarette occupies a separate and independent I moisture-proof cell, each cell being capable of being opened separately for the removal of a single cigarette, while the remaining cigarettes remain undisturbed in their moisture-proof cells. The invention also contemplates the provision of an attractive package in which the cigarettes will be revealed to view, but at the same time completely protected from the contamination of the outside atmosphere or from handling by users of the package.

A further object of the invention lies in providing an improved package of cigarettes in which sanitation in the use of these articles is promoted very materially; in which the package is extremely flat and relatively small and in which access is readily had to the individual cigarettes without requiring the opening of the entire package.

It is also within the purview of the invention to provide means for opening the package. With the foregoing and other objects in view,

the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing where like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an im proved cigarette package constructed according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the package in the process of formation.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the initial step in crimping or folding the protective wrapper.

Figure 4 is a similar View, showing the finished end formation.

Figure 5 is a cross section taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 6-6 in Figure 1, and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 50, the cigarettes may be of any make or form consisting of the fillers 10 and the paper Wrappers 11. As many of these cigarettes may be included in one package as desired. As shown in the drawing, twenty such cigarettes are included in order to cause the illustration to bear a close comparison to packages of the same number of cigarettes now appearing extensively upon the market.

In accordance with the invention Cellophane, or some other moisture-proof material, preferably, though not necessarily, transparent is used, and in the initial step shown in Figure 2,

a pocket or cell sheet of the Cellophane is looped to provide a number of open pockets into which the cigarettes are dropped. The free edge of this sheet is first disposed to provide a flange 12 extending horizontally. From that flange the Cellophane sheet is carried downwardly to form a vertical wall 13, thence horizontally to form a bottom wall 14 and finally upwardy producing a second vertical wall 15 parallel to, and spaced from the first vertical wall 13. In this manner a pocket or cell is formed, open at its upper part so that a cigarette l0, 11 may be dropped thereinto. After forming the wall 15, the Cellophane sheet is looped or redoubled upon itself to form the next vertical wall 16 of the adjoining cigarette cell.

The two walls 15 and 16 thus abut and reinforce and strengthen one another in the completed package. Preferably a line of perforations 17 is run along the bight or doubled part of the sheet between the two walls 15 and 16, or this may be a weakened line of any kind provided it answers the purpose of enabling one cell containing a cigarette to be individually torn off from the package along this weak end or perforated line 17. The above description clearly explains one phase of the operation. This operation is repeated througout a number of cells, for instance ten such cells. At the end of the tenth cell, the sheet may be carried along for a substantial width to produce a wide Web 18 of the cellular sheet. This wide web is preferably cemented to the cover sheet 19 after the latter has been folded over as hereinafter described. The wide web forms a strengthening part owing to the double-walled construction.

On the other side of the wide web 18, the cellular sheet is again carried through a number of loops in the same manner as heretofore described for the purpose of providing a further row of pockets or cells, preferably equal in number to the cells in the first row. For in stance ten such cells are shown.

At the completion of this second row, the Cellophane sheet is carried oif to provide a cover portion or sheet 19 which is bent over upon the line 20 by bending or fiexure and is brought down upon the open upper portions 110 of the cells after the cigarettes have been dropped into the same. This cover sheet 19 is preferably formed with weakened lines or lines of perforations 21 which agree with the weakened or perforated line 17 in the bights of the cells. Parts of the cover sheet 19 lying between the rows of perforations form in effect sealed and closed top walls for each of the cells and may be torn off with the individual cell from the package. The cover sheet 19 is cemented to all of the bight portions 17, to the wide web 18 and to the end flange 12.

Thereafter the package is bent upon itself at or near the median transverse line of the wide web 18 in order to produce the package shown in Figure 1 when one row of cigarettes extends above the other row thereof. Toe wide web 13 provides ample opportunity and suliicient flexi bility for this bending or folding. After the fold has been made, this wide web portion also affords a protective projecting flange at one end of the package. The flange 12 and end portion of the cover sheet 19 which overlaps and is cemented to this flange 12 protects and reinforces sheets, being wider than the cigarettes are long.

The method of folding is preferably as indicated in Figures 3 and 4. In sealing the ends of the cells, the cell walls, beyond the ends of the cigarettes, are first pushed downwardly whereby a bottom fold 24 and a vertical fold 25 is formed. The bottom fold is constituted by the left vertical wall of the cell and the vertical fold 25 by the top wall of the cell. The bottom fold 24 will lie down against the cover sheet is ,and may be cemented thereto if desired. The

, folded over upon this end wall 26.

vertical fold 25 will lie against the vertical wall of the adjacent cell and these two vertical walls are subsequently pushed inwardly toward the ends of the cigarettes, as indicated in Figure 4.

When the first crimp is made, an end protecting wall 26 is formed for the ends of the cigarette and when the second crimp is made, as shown in Figure 4, the doubled walls 25 are A part of the double walls 25 is also folded down upon the fold 24.

The walls 25 are cemented both to the end wall 26 and to the fold 24 and thus both ends of each of the cells are completely isolated, cut ofi and sealed against all contamination and the entrance of air, moisture and the like. The cells are thereby also sealed against the escape of moisture from the tobacco. Each cigarette reposes in a sanitary completely isolated cell of its own, from which it may be withdrawn individually when either end of the cell is broken open or the cell is otherwise ripped or torn open.

The doubled crimped walls also provide additional strength at the side margins of the package. The two base sections formed by folding the cover sheet 19 along the central portion of the web 18 are cemented together, in which case they of course reinforce one another and the cells and cigarettes therein mutually reinforce one another. As a consequence, the cigarettes are bound up in an exceedingly small, compact and attractive package having great strength and revealing the cigarettes and the condition thereof to the prospective purchaser. The cigarettes may be easily carried about and extracted one by one so that the remainder are kept in the same fres condition in which they were originally packed.

A rip cord 27 may be provided, as indicated in Figure l, in order to rip out the cells to permit the extraction of the cigarettes; or any other means might be provided in which the cells could be individually and successively opened.

The manufacture of this package, in practice,

would be continuous the same as the manufacture of the cigarettes themselves. The Cellophane paper will be drawn from the roll into the series of grooves or cells corresponding to the corrugations in the paper. The cigarettes are automatically dropped into these grooves and the cover paper 19 subsequently folded over and cemented into place while the package is in motion. The packages are clipped apart by machine and the edges criinped by machine to form the sealed ends on each cell.

Each compartment can be torn from the body or the package individually along the weakened or perforated lines, and the cigarette then removed for use, leaving the balance of the cigarettes individually sealed in separate compartments the Cellophane pack.

In the slightest modified form shown in Figure 7 I have provided a narrow horizontal web 28 between the vertical walls 15 and 16 of the cigarette cells or compartments to contact with the cover sheet 15 when the same is folded to seal the cells. The web 28 is centrally perforated or weakened as sh wn at 17 along a line parallel to the cigarettes, and affords an increased surface to seal and hold the same together with th cover sheet 19.

By Cellophane is meant regenerated or reclaimed cellulose.

It will be obvious that various changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts could be made, which could be used without departin from the spirit of my invention, and I do not mean to limit the invention to such details except as particularly pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

1. An improved cigarette package comprising a cellular sheet and a cover sheet overlaid upon the cellular sheet, said cellular sheet being looped a number of times and secured to the cover sheet at its looped portions whereby to form two groups of individual cells for cigarettes, said cellular sheet providing a wide web portion between the groups secured to the cover sheet and forming a flexible hinge upon which the two groups are folded to bring the two halves of the cover sheet together, the end portions of the cells beyond the ends of the cigarettes being crimped and sealed.

2. An improved cigarette package comprising a cellular heet and a cover sheet overlaid upon the cellular sheet, said cellular sheet being looped a number or times beneath the cover sheet and secured thereto at its looped portions whereby to form two groups of individual cells for cigarettes, said cellular sheet providing a wide web portion between the groups secured to the cover sheet and forming a flexible hinge upon which the two groups are folded to bring the two halves of the cover sheet together, the cells being longer than the cigarettes, the end portions of the cells being crimped in successively opposite directions in order to secure and seal each cell.

3. The herein described method for forming cigarette packages, which consists in looping a cellular sheet to form individual cells, dropping cigarettes in the cells, securing the looped portions of the cellular sheet to a cover sheet, folding the package to bring opposed sections of the cover sheet together and securing the sections to one another, and either before or after such folding operation, closing the ends of the cells upon the cigarettes.

4. The herein described method for forming cigarette packages, which consists in looping a cellular sheet to form a plurality of individual cells, inserting cigarettes in the cells, crimping the end portions of the cells over the ends of the cigarettes first in one and then in the other direction, and sealing such crimped ends.

5. The herein described method for packaging cigarettes, which consists in looping a cellular sheet into two groups of loops forming cells open at the top and ends, dropping cigarettes in the cells, securing a cover sheet over the cells, folding one group upon the other to bring one section of the cover sheet over upon the other section and securing the sections together, and closing the ends of the cells.

6. A cigarette package comprising a cellular sheet looped a number of times to form adjacent cells lying side by side for individually receiving cigarettes, a straight cover sheet lying in common across and closing the cells and being secured to said cellular sheet, a second straight cover sheet superimposed over and against the first cover sheet and affixed thereto, and a second cellular sheet looped to form adjacent cells lying side by side for individually receiving cigarettes, said second cellular sheet superimposed upon the second cover sheet and secured thereto.

7. A cigarette package comprising a cellular sheet looped a number of times to form adjacent cells lying side by side for individually receiving cigarettes, a straight cover sheet lying in common across and closing the cells and being secured to said cellular sheet, a second straight cover sheet superimposed over and against the first coversheet and afiixed thereto, and a second cellular sheet looped to form adjacent cells lying side by side for individually receiving cigarettes, said second cellular sheet superimposed upon the second cover and secured thereto, said cover sheets extending beyond the sides and ends of the cells to form flanges all about the packages, said cellular sheets being wider than the cigarettes are long and having projecting end portions at both ends of the cigarettes, said projecting ends being crimped first in one and then in the other direction against the ends of the cigarettes and the respective cover sheets.

8. The herein described method for forming cigarette packages which consists in looping a cellular sheet a number of times in a straight row to provide cells for receiving cigarettes, securing a straight cover sheet over the cells to close such cells, superposing a second straight cover sheet over and against the first cover sheet and affixing the two cover sheets together, and looping a second cellular sheet a number of times in a straight row to provide cells for receiving cigarettes over and in secured contact with the second cover sheet.

9. The herein described method for forming cigarette packages which consists in looping a cellular sheet a number of times in a straight row to provide cells for receiving cigarettes, securing a straight cover sheet over the cells to close such cells, superposing a second straight cover sheet over and against the first cover sheet and affixing the two cover sheets together, looping a second cellular sheet a number of times in a straight row to provide cells for receiving cigarettes over and in secured contact with the second cover sheet, and crimping the end portions of the cellular sheets in one and then in the other direction against the ends of the cigarettes and respective cover sheets and securing the crimped portions together.

SAMUEL C. MILLER. 

